Cinnamon Chocolate Cake with Goji Berries

As the Christmas season gets ever closer, the temptation of sweet treats becomes greater and we can often be easily persuaded to abandon our usual healthy diets with the justification of the festivities. However, Christmas doesn’t have to be a reason to over-indulge in sugary snacks and desserts as there is a massive variety of healthy treats available also. If you’re having guests over then serving up this chocolate cake will prove exactly that! Not only is it made with an abundance of natural ingredients but it also includes one of my all time health favourites – goji berries! These tiny berries are great for our bodies and also add an extra twist of flavour to an already delicious cake!

Cacao is another health weapon in this cake. As you may know, cacao is the natural unrefined compound that is used to make chocolate. This means it has the mood enhancing properties of chocolate but is actually fantastic for health as the naturally occurring vitamins and minerals haven’t been lost to processing.

This is an incredibly quick and easy recipe to make once you have gathered the ingredients. To begin, pre-heat your oven to 180C / 350F and then mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and stir until you have a smooth mixture. You can then pour the mixture into a greased 9 inch cake tin and place this in the oven for between 20 and 25 minutes.

After this time is up, remove from the oven and slide out of the cake tin. Leave for a few moments to cool and then enjoy!

So is cacao different from cocoa? Can one use cocoa instead in this recipe? And – it’s a long shot that you would know this, but I’m asking anyway … do you know if it’s possible to obtain cacao from a verified South American source? I ask because most cocoa used in Western products originates in Africa, where the industry is HEAVILY dependent on slavery. I learned this quite recently and feel strongly that I want to stop using such a product.

Hi Julie, thanks so much for the recipe, I tried it and even though I managed to burn it a bit (forgot it was in the oven!!) it was really great and didn’t feel like I was overindulging with all
that healthy stuff in it. Thanks so much gonna now try the salad you just posted!! Ersilia

I saw this blog and was immediately drawn to it – I’ve taken up yoga recently and I’m trying to eat healthier. This post, too, caught my attention, because hey, chocolate. 😀 I’m so glad I stumbled upon this, though. I can’t wait to scroll through the rest of your recipes. Thanks so much!